The Memory Keepers Daughter (2008/Sony DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C- Main Program: C+
Rightly
nominated for a Best TV Movie Emmy, Mick Jackson’s The Memory Keepers Daughter (2008) is not a bad tale, if a little
uneven, about a doctor (Dermot Mulroney) whose wife has unexpected twins, but
the second has Down’s Syndrome. This
happened in his family before with his sister and he tells his wife (Gretchen
Moll) the baby is dead, when he has really sent the child off to an
institution.
He hands
it to his nurse (Emily Watson) with this instruction, but when she sees the
condition of the place (circa 1964) decides to take the baby home and secretly
raise it herself, complete with fleeing town.
The rest of the story is about the years the parallel children grow up
and what the consequences are of such secrets.
Like a
flashback to TV movies past, this is an ambitious production with fine acting
all around and asks tough questions about tough issues on what to do with the
weakest in our society, which is suddenly very important once again with so
many programs being cut and how little progress there has been in both help and
getting rid of the stigmas associated with those of learning disabilities. It is one of the few telefilms in recent years
I can even recommend.
The anamorphically
enhanced 1.78 X 1 is a little soft with some motion blur, but it is not bad
overall, while the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is pushing the TV audio a bit more
than it should, but you can hear everything well enough. The only extras are previews for other Sony
DVDs.
- Nicholas Sheffo
